Inside Aniya Gourdine’s impact as SWAC champion Southern is dancing again

While championships and accolades are rewarding, the number that brings Funchess the greatest pride is 27 — the total number of women’s basketball student-athletes who have played for Southern and graduated under him. A perfect 27-for-27 graduation rate underscores the program’s commitment to academic success, the most significant victory.

Beyond their on-court success, Funchess beams with pride over players like DaKiyah Sanders and Tionna Lidge, who have carried their achievements into the classroom and are currently in master programs. Several former Jaguars are now pursuing graduate degrees, proving that Southern’s impact extends beyond the sport.

“It’s not just strictly basketball,” Funchess said proudly during a Zoom call with The Next earlier this month. “They are getting a quality college experience, and they are graduating. That’s huge, and that’s important to me and their parents. They send their young ladies here to get a quality education, and I want them to have a good time and a quality college experience.”

The Jaguars have had that, and then some.

Not only are they going dancing, but they are returning to California to compete in the First Four for the second time in three years. Their path to history begins at the legendary Pauley Pavilion, where they’ll face an unexpected contender, Big West champion UC San Diego, on Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET (on ESPNU). It’s UC San Diego’s first appearance in program history. Whoever wins needs to face off with the tournament’s overall No. 1 seed, UCLA, on Friday.

Southern arrived in Los Angeles on Monday, locked in and ready to take on the moment. The Jaguars have won 17 of their last 19 games to earn this chance. They reached the 20-win plateau despite going 2-11 in non-conference play. This is the first time that Southern has won 20 games since 2019.

In winning the SWAC championship, Southern held Mississippi Valley State, Jackson State, and Alcorn State below 50 points in each game while allowing an average of 44.6 points per game. Overall, Southern has limited its last five opponents to below 50 points.

In its 64-44 championship victory over Alcorn State, Southern permitted 24 points over the final three quarters after the Braves scored 20 in the first frame. After all, defense wins championships. Southern’s seventh NCAA appearance in program history is an opportunity to showcase its brand of basketball, built on discipline, intelligence, dominant defense, and unshakable teamwork on the biggest stage.

“We take a lot of pride in that,” Funchess said. “This is my 20th year at Southern University. This is my seventh year as the head coach here, and I love it. I learned a lot from my predecessor, Sandy Pugh. She’s one of the best coaches ever to come through. I learned a lot from her and how to build a program that will be sustained and time tested.”

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The Jaguars’ success is like a choreographed symphony, where every player makes a meaningful contribution. In their championship game victory over Alcorn State, the harmony was evident — Sanders, Lidge, and 6’0 senior guard Soniyah Reed each scored 11 points. At the same time, 5’9 senior guard Aniya Gourdine added nine points, and 5’11 freshman guard Jocelyn Tate chipped in with eight. Finally, 5’8 junior guard Taniya Lawson‘s seven points provided the final touch, proving that Southern’s tried-and-true formula is not about one soloist, but rather the collective rhythm that keeps them winning.

The Jaguars take the team approach into all aspects of the stat sheet. Tate and Sanders have combined for 29.6% of Southern’s steals (111 of 375). Meanwhile, Reed and Aleighyah Fontenot have combined to make 51.9% of Southern’s 3-pointers (90 of 176). Fontenot and Lidge average 7.1 points per game each.

“Although it looked glamorous, it wasn’t easy for us to get here,” Reed told reporters following the SWAC championship game. “We went through a lot this summer championship and throughout the season. A lot of hard work was put into this season.”

Despite being named only to the All-SWAC second team, Gourdine has played like a headliner all season. Now, under the flashing lights of Los Angeles, the SWAC Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player has a national stage to prove she belongs among the best.

Gourdine is the ultimate do-it-all player for Southern. Need a clutch bucket? She delivers. A key rebound? She fights through traffic, using every inch of her frame to secure the ball. Lockdown defense? She smothers opponents with relentless intensity. No matter what the Jaguars need, Gourdine rises to the occasion.

“She’s special,” Funchess said. “I mean, she can, she can shoot it. She can get to the mid-range. She can get to the basket, and her basketball IQ is super high so that she will make the right play.”

And the numbers back it up. Over her last five games, Gourdine has scored 20.8% of her points from second-chance opportunities, according to CBB Analytics. She’s shooting 37.9% on mid-range two-point shots (25-of-66), which is 4.6% above the Division I average of 33.2%. Gourdine has made 42.9% of her corner 3-pointers according to CBB Analytics.

But this isn’t just about stats. Gourdine has already proven herself against the best. She torched Nebraska for a career-high 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-6 from deep on Nov. 12. She dropped 19 points on Missouri on Nov. 7 and held her own against Colorado, a team that advanced to the Sweet 16 last season, on Nov 17.

But still, she carries a chip on her shoulder like Michael Jordan watching old rivals talk on the iPad in The Last Dance, fueling her fire with every slight and doubter.

“I felt like with everything, even the second team, I thought I should have gotten more,” Gourdine told reporters at the SWAC Tournament championship press conference. “We’re always the underdog when we go the banquet, but it meant a lot [to be named SWAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player]. Most importantly, this championship means everything.”

If history is any indication, the brighter the lights, the better Gourdine plays. It’s in her DNA.

A Baltimore native and Temple University transfer, Gourdine is majoring in criminal justice with aspirations of becoming a lawyer. She was the first player in Temple program history to record a triple-double — not once, but twice — as a freshman against East Carolina (13 points, 10 assists, 11 rebounds) and Tulsa (11 points, 10 assists, 15 rebounds).

“My time at Temple made me who I am today,” Gourdine told The Next earlier this season. “Coming here to the SWAC, my time at Temple helped me prepare for it. I wanted to go to an HBCU. … I feel like it was perfect for me, perfect for me to watch me focus on school. I have the best of both worlds and the best experience ever. I would have never known that if I hadn’t come to an HBCU.”

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Gourdine plays with grit, tenacity, and a forever chip on her shoulder. She also played a lot with Angel Reese. Both St. Frances High School graduates were members of the 2019 Team Takeover EYBL national championship team.

“We started playing rec leagues together,” Gourdine told The Next earlier this season. “It was always a pleasure. I feel like she brought out the best in me, and I brought the best in her. We both had a dog and heart mentality. So, I felt like we always brought the best out of each other. Watching her now inspires me, and I’m happy for her.”

Southern’s road to success started during the summer, when many players demonstrated their commitment by canceling their vacations. Instead of lounging on the beach, the Jaguars were in the hot and steamy gyms, getting extra shots, running endless suicides, waking up at the crack of dawn, and pushing their limits in the weight room. They battled fatigue, heat, and comfort.

“That’s a lot of dedication,” Funchess said. “They believed in it. You know, as much as we, as coaches, believe in it, they believe in it as players. So, a lot of work goes into it. … They really care about each other. It’s truly a sisterhood here, not one player trying to get credit. It’s just a balanced attack. They share the basketball and care about each other off the court. That’s big. We do a lot of team-building stuff in the off-season, especially in the summer.”

Now, they are reaping all the rewards as they accomplished their goal of winning the SWAC and competing in the NCAA tournament, looking for their first win in program history. Two years ago, Southern left the First Four with unfinished business.

The loss to Saint Francis at Stanford still lingers for returning players Reed, Fontenot, Diamond Hunter, and Sky Castro. This time, they’re not just excited to be here but hungry for history. Many may view the First Four negatively, but for programs like Southern, it is a chance to earn an NCAA tournament victory against a comparable opponent in a festive atmosphere.

“Whatever we’ve needed, the young ladies have stepped up and provided that,” Funchess said. “They might sacrifice one part of their game for another part. Whatever we need to do to win a game, that’s what it’s all about. It’s not about stats … It’s all about the culture we’ve built over the years. We try to continue that with each class that comes in, and they buy into it … We want to go out and compete hard. We have a legacy that we are trying to uphold. We want to be the best we can be every year.”

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